Marlborough??”Wayside Racquet & Swim Club prides itself on its strong tennis and swimming programs and a renewed emphasis on racquetball, but in the past year, the club has also revamped its personal training program. It now has eight nationally certified personal trainers on the staff and offers both private and group sessions.

“Personal training is a more functional training than just doing aerobic or strength workouts,” explained Darren McLaughlin, Wayside's general manager. “You learn to work all the core muscle groups to support the way people move throughout their daily lives.”

When the longtime fitness director, who had been overseeing three separate areas, moved away last year, Wayside tapped three of its own people with a combined 55 years at the club to develop and expand the fitness program. Steve Cannon runs the club's fitness center and is in charge of the equipment, and Nia Benoit directs the spinning program.

Paula Lambert, who started as an aerobics instructor at Wayside in 1986, took over the personal training program “and really stepped up the game,” McLaughlin said, starting with a requirement that all the personal trainers are certified by a nationally recognized program.

An introductory individual personal training package of five one-hour sessions is priced at $199 and is available to any club member who has not tried personal training at Wayside before.? During those sessions, the trainer will work with the participant to create an ongoing training program tailored to their particular needs.

The club also offers small group training sessions, perhaps a husband and wife or three or four friends, which brings down the cost for each participant.

Lambert, who is also a youth soccer coach, recognizes the importance of proper training for young people, particularly young athletes, and offers sessions focusing on strength training starting at age 12. Three individual one-hour sessions are $119; two young people can take the program together for $150.

After they have taken this training, kids who are 12 or 13 can use the club's fitness center with parental supervision and at ages 14 and 15, they can use the center on their own.

Wayside has also added seven water fitness classes a week, led by Colleen Keelan. The classes include water aerobics, deep water and aqua-Pilates.

Last fall, the Wayside Racquet & Swim Club redesigned its membership structure, lowering membership dues and adjusting fees for some activities. The basic membership includes all the club's facilities??”sauna, steam room, whirlpool, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the fitness center, and group exercise classes. It also provides access to the tennis and racquetball courts, which have additional court fees.

“Members are no longer paying for services they do not use,” McLaughlin noted.

With a 12-month contract, plus a $25 enrollment fee, adult members pay $49 a month. If members prepay their 12-month contract, the fee drops to $495 for the year.

Couples pay the same rate for each adult, and families can add children to their membership, with kids under 3 free. Children from 3 to 15 are $17 a month, or $185 if prepaid for the year, while children 16 to 23 are $27 per month or $295 prepaid for a year. Seniors pay $44 monthly for the 12-month contract or $445 if they prepay for the year.

Wayside also offers short-term, student and summer memberships.

“We encourage people to come and tour the facility,” McLaughlin said. “We want you to see what we have to offer.”

To find out more about programs and classes, check the club's website, www.wayside.net, or call the membership office at 508-481-1797 to arrange a visit. The club is located at 80 Broadmeadow St. in Marlborough.